In the Royal Palace of the Inquisition of Barcelona, on the twentysecond
day of May, one thousand six hundred and thirtyseven, the Inquisitor,
Dr Domingo Abbad y Huerta presiding sole in his morning audience,
ordered to be brought out of prison, a person, who, on his appearance,
was formally sworn to declare the truth, both on this occasion and in
all the other audiences which may be held till the determination of his
trial; also to preserve secrecy with respect to everything which he may
see, hear, or understand, and everything which may take place respecting
him.
Questioned, his name, birthplace, residence, age, and occupation, and
the time of his imprisonment by the Holy Office.
Answered, that his name was Leonardo Phelipe, needlemaker; that he was a
Frenchman by birth, born in the village of Agullon in the bishopric of
Genes; that he was about fortysix years of age, and that he was
apprehended by the Holy Office on Sunday, the sixteenth of the present
month.
Questioned, who was his father and mother, who were his grandfathers,
uncles, paternal and maternal, wife, children, brothers, &c.
[_Here follows the prisoner’s account._]
Questioned, of what race and stock were his ancestors and collateral
relations, and whether any one of them, or he himself, had ever been put
under penance or punished by the Holy Office of the Inquisition.
Answered that they were French, and old Catholic Christians, of pure
blood and lineage; that in the place of his birth there were no
Lutherans; that none of the family had ever been contaminated with this
heresy, and that none of them had ever been apprehended, punished, or
put under penance by the Holy Office of the Inquisition, till the
present occasion.
Questioned, if he was a baptized and confirmed Christian, heard mass,
confessed, and took the sacrament at such times as the Holy Mother Roman
Catholic Church directed; at what time he made his last confession, and
from whom he received the holy sacrament.
Answered, that he was a baptized and confirmed Christian, according to
what he had been told by his parents, and that he recollected the fact
of his confirmation by the bishop of Genes, on which occasion he gave
him a slap in the face; that he attended mass, confessed, and took the
sacrament when directed by the Holy Mother Roman Catholic Church; that
the last time he confessed was at the festival of the Resurrection, the
present year, in the convent of St Francisco, at Tarragona, to the
Guardian or Sacristan; that he received the holy sacrament in the
cathedral church from the hands of one of the curates, as could be shown
by the certificate found upon him at the time of his imprisonment.
Here the prisoner crossed himself in a clumsy manner, and could not
repeat perfectly the words of the _prœsignum crucis_. He said the
_paternoster_, _ave Maria_, and credo with much reverence, declaring
that he did not know the _salve regina_. He repeated the ten
commandments, and stated that he knew nothing more of the christian
doctrine.
Questioned, if he had visited any foreign countries since he came to
Spain, or had any dealings with people suspected in the faith.
Answered, No.
Questioned, if he could read and write, or had studied any science or
faculty.
Answered, that he could neither read nor write, nor had ever studied
anything but his trade.
Questioned, what were the events of his life.
Answered, that he was born, as already stated, in the village of
Agullon, and brought up by his parents till thirteen years of age,
without doing anything but eat and drink. On the death of his parents,
he was left a destitute orphan, and came to Catalonia begging. He
arrived at Barcelona, and lived three years as a servant with Maestre
Gosart, needlemaker, after which he served various other persons in
Barcelona for the space of more than eleven years. From this city he
went to Tarragona, where he worked with Francisco Roca till he married
the wife abovementioned, since which he has worked for himself without
leaving Tarragona but once, when he staid about three months in
Caragoca, at the end of which he returned home.
Questioned, if he knew or conjectured the cause of his being summoned to
appear.
Answered, that he neither knew nor conjectured anything, except that he
was seized by the Holy Office while at work in his shop.
The prisoner was then informed that in this Holy Office it was not
customary to imprison any one without sufficient information that he had
said or done, or witnessed the saying or doing by other persons, of
something which was, or appeared to be contrary to our Holy Catholic
Faith and Evangelical Law, taught and preached by the Holy Mother Roman
Catholic Church, or against the free and just proceedings of the Holy
Office, and on this account he must understand that he was imprisoned by
reason of some such information; therefore he was exhorted, by his
reverence for God our Lord and his glorious and blessed Mother the
Virgin Mary, to bethink himself and declare the whole truth with respect
to his own offences, and what he knew of others, without concealing
anything or bearing false witness against any one, by which proceeding
he would clear his conscience as a Catholic Christian, and save his
soul, and that his trial should, in this case, be despatched with all
brevity and mercy; otherwise justice should be executed.
Answered, that he had nothing more to say.
The declarations which he had made in this audience were then read and
declared by him to be correctly recorded. He declared that they
contained the truth, that he had nothing to alter in them, and if
necessary was ready to repeat them anew. And having been admonished to
bethink himself and declare the truth, he was remanded to prison. Not
being able to write, I, the said Inquisitor, sign this.